CHEP DISCUSSION FORUM
Thurs 18th Oct 2012, 1.15-2.15pm, Videolink
Undergraduate Dissertation Supervision:
Managing Preparation, Support & Expectations.
Sally Cook & Wendy Saunderson
A. CONTEXT & PROBLEM
B. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
C. PROVIDING ON ONLINE SUPPORT SYSTEM ‘ODISSY’
CONTEXT & PROBLEM
• Tens of thousands of UG students complete
Dissertations in UK HEIs each year (across
the Arts, Humanities, and Social, Natural and
Behavioural Sciences)
• Despite the significance of Dissertation re.
student learning & staff workload: there is a
paucity of guidelines, Supervision Sessions
are not subject to peer-review, and are rarely
observed by QAA auditors.
(Rowley and Slack, 2004; Todd et al., 2005)
VARIABLE STANDARDS & PROVISION
• HUGE VARIATIONS in the nature,
approach, attitudes, concerns, provision,
strategies and experience of both
Supervisor and Supervisee:
But
• COMMON CHARACTERISTICS and
COMMON CHALLENGES / PROBLEMS
COMMON / KEY CHARACTERISTICS
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Student-determined topic; Self-directed learning;
Independent/individual work + Tutor support;
Typically includes empirical research component;
Involves prolonged & sustained engagement.
USUALLY:
20 credits - 200 hrs - Final year 1/6
5 – 10,000 words; No taught component
Dissertation Handbook/BB; Individual supervision
No formal Supervisor training or guidance
COMMON CHALLENGES / PROBLEMS
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Delayed start / delay in choosing topic;
Poor time management;
Failure to fully engage with the process;
Dissertation as ‘unknown entity’;
Balancing workload – 1 out of 6 modules;
Lacking self-confidence for independent work;
Unsure of Supervisor-Supervisee relationship;
Unrealistic (misinformed) expectations;
Fear of not knowing what is required, and
Fear of being unable to meet requirements.
Risk of under-achievement
& dissatisfied students
SUPERVISOR’S ROLE
• ACADEMIC GUIDANCE: advice on suitability, feasibility,
scale/scope of study; conceptual/ theoretical issues;
ethical issues; research methodology; structuring;
presentation.
• AS ‘MOTIVATOR’: setting tasks and deadlines;
managing expectations; providing feedback.
Do we have a clear idea of our role? Boundaries?
Time commitment? Depends on number of Supervisees?
Or our own research/workload? Awareness of
acute disparities between & within subjects/Faculties?
BOUNDARIES & BALANCE
Where does the Supervisor Role
& Responsibility start and end?
• How much is enough?
Students do need a certain amount of guidance, support and
encouragement to gain confidence to apply their skills to complete.
• How much is too much?
Spoon-feeding infantalises students and stifles original thought:
are we teaching / producing ‘technicians or technologists’?
For Discussion…
A. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS (& ‘FEARS’)
B. PROVIDING AN ONLINE SUPPORT SYSTEM ‘ODISSY’
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What ARE students’ expectations?
Where do they come from?
How realistic are they?
How often do students expect supervision?
By which means? Which types do they prefer?
How realistic/realisable are their expectations?
What are students biggest fears/concerns?
What ARE their Expectations? Fears?
80 UG students; Starting final year;
Social Policy, SP Modular, HSCP;
Semi-structured questionnaire, pre-Dissertation
Special Session & pre-Supervisor contact.
64% expect Strict
Timetable of
Supervision
36% expect
Flexible
Supervision
Preferred TYPE of Supervision (% Ranking)
1st Preference
2nd Pref.
3rd Pref
2
4
22
76
94
73
22
4
Face-to-Face
Supervision
Email Supervision
2
Phone Supervision
How often is private face-to-face
Supervision expected?
63
31
2
Twice per
Week
2
Every Week
Every
Fortnight
Every 2-3
Weeks
3
Once per
Month
Expected duration of each private
face-to-face Supervision
Fortnightly Supervision
Weekly Supervision
43
67
36
5
14
5
2
10-15 15-30
30-60 1 hour
mins mins
2 hrs
mins
13
10
5
10-15 15-30
mins mins 30-60 1 hour 2 hrs
mins
UG Students’ ‘Greatest Fears/Concerns’ at start
of final/Dissertation Year
Not being able to understand certain aspects of dissertation; not
having enough time or 1-to-1 sessions with Supervisor
That I won’t get a high enough grade; that I won’t pick the right dissertation
title; that I won’t get enough guidance and support from my Supervisor
Biggest fear is juggling Uni work with 2 jobs; failing; not
understanding the work; time management.
Doing something wrong in my dissertation and wasting time by not being able to fully
understand it; Not having enough one-to-one time with my Supervisor
That I will fall behind and not do my best and that my Supervisor won’t be
interested in my topic; it will be hard to balance work & Uni
Biggest fear is everything snowballing if I get stuck on one piece of work; time
management; balancing dissertation with other modules
School of Environmental Sciences:
Geography, Env. Science & Marine Science BSc
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30 credits to 20 credits
S1 to S2
scheduled Yr. 2 preparation sessions
dissertation ‘log’ – minimum contact
Online Dissertation Support System
(ODISSY) - supported by CIES/CHEP
ODISSY student surveys & focus group
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guidance on research & writing up
expected standards
contradictory advice
independence
S1 workload
credits vs. expectations
supervisor knowledge / interest
supervisor availability
Development of ODISSY – aims:
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improve student engagement
assist time management
centralise resources & advice
make better use of supervision time
enable visualisation of process
& progress
Main Features of ODISSY
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visual interface: journey
break into manageable ‘chunks’
indicate progress
consistent online information
(timetable, C/A criteria, explanations & advice, ‘how to’
guides, links to podcasts & web sites, exemplars etc.)
• tools for communication &
management
ODISSY: feedback so far…
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overview of process
relevance of advice and links
convenience
consistency
exemplars
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in regular use (2012 graduates)
57% used at least weekly: 80% at least monthly
> 80% found map interface useful
(¾) ½ said it (maybe) helped time management
Key questions: any answers to…?
• optimum timing for engagement
(S1 / S2 / long-thin)
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credits: effort vs. degree classification
student preparation Yr 2 / 3
expected minimum supervisory contact
level of support (independence / spoon-feeding)
ensuring supervisor availability